Astros May End up Thanking the H1N1 Virus for this Pitcher

In the spring of 2009, the phrase “H1N1 Virus” became a prominent part of the vernacular in Southeast Texas. For good reasons, swine flu was on everyone’s mind about three years ago. Many schools in the Houston area were closed for several weeksa and extra-curricular activities were limited to prevent the spread of the sickness, which reportedly caused more than 3000 deaths nationwide by the time it ended. The effects of the epidmeic were far reaching, and of significance to this space, the ripples were even felt by the architects of the Astros’ future.

Heading into the 2009 high school baseball season, Rusty Pendergrass,who was an Astros’ scout at that time, had his eye on a young pitcher from LaJoya, Texas name R.J. Alaniz. It is likely that a solid senior season on the field from Alaniz would have drawn the attention of scouts from other teams leading up to the 2009 draft. However, Alaniz’s senior campaign never happened. By the time he recovered from an early season injury, the part of the season that remained had been greatly reduced due to concerns about the swine flu outbreak.

Missing his senior season forced Alaniz to participate in tryouts across the country and in a highly-regarded prospect league in Atlanta. His performance in these venues caught the attention of numerous scouts; however, Pendergrass and the Astros were able to sign him as an undrafted free agent. The Astros outbid at least two other teams in this process, signing Alaniz for $160,000. However, in addition to the money, Pendergrass’s diligence in maintaining contact with Alaniz throughout the season when he couldn’t play was a factor in Alaniz’s decisionto go with the Astros as well.

Now three years later, Alaniz is heading into his third season in the Astros’ organization. He spent 2011 in the Lexington rotation, posting a 4.44 ERA in 116 innings. Baseball America rates Alaniz, 20, as the #15 prospect in the organization.